18 ECTS credits
450 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 6004263ENR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester
1st and 2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Alvorens de Masterproef IERE te kunnen opnemen, dient de student minstens gelijktijdig ingeschreven te zijn op alle verplichte studiedelen uit module I en voor 12 studiepunten op keuzestudiedelen uit module II.
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Law and Criminology
Department
International and European Law
Educational team
Promotor . (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
450 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

The students select the subject of their master's thesis. For suggestions, professors and assistants of the IERE section are of course available. The master's thesis, which consists of more or less 40 pages, relates to one of the legal subjects taught in the programme. The students are expected to demonstrate their ability to deal with a subject of international or European law in an independent and scientifically correct manner by writing a master's thesis that is comparable to a publishable scientific article.

The students should pay due attention to the methodological aspects of this assignment (see the web page: http://www.vub.ac.be/IERE/methodologie.html). This includes a thorough research of sources. The student should reference the consulted sources in a correct and consistent way (see for example: The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, Cambridge, The Harvard Law Review Association (21st ed., 2020)) and to process the information found therein into his/her own text.

Additional info

This course cannot be taken under credit contract.

Students participating in international moot court competitions are evaluated as follows: the evaluation is first based on the assessment of the written memorials and the oral pleadings by the organising jury. On this basis, a global score is allocated to the group, which is then further refined with an individual differentiation based on the individual contribution made within the team.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

Knowledge and comprehension

  • The student has a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the sources of and the developments in International and European law and their history.
  • The student has a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the International law of the sea, diplomatic law, European competition law, European constitutional law, international dispute settlement mechanisms and current issues of International and European Law.
  • The student understands the law-making process in International and European law and is familiar with its actors and their input during this process.
  • The student can monitor the developments in International and European law.
  • The student can identify complex, transboundary legal problems and can situate these problems within a broader social context.
  • The student can frame complex, transboundary problems within their proper legal framework.
  • The student can formulate responsible solutions based on a critical analysis and synthesis. The student can communicate his/her findings in a clear and concise manner, orally as well as in writing, to peers and laymen alike.
  • The student is able to acquire new knowledge in International and European law according to the applicable standards in this domain and can critically use and apply this knowledge in a broader social context.

Application of knowledge and skills

  • The student can locate sources of International and European law and can apply them in practice.
  • The student can conduct independent legal research in the fields of International and European law or can use his/her knowledge independently in his/her specialized work environment. 
  • The student can form a substantiated opinion on International and European law and can make an original contribution to the development of International and European law, at the level of a junior researcher or a junior professional.
  • The student can function in a multilingual environment.
  • The student can express himself/herself in Dutch on topics of International and European law and has a thorough passive knowledge of the French and English terminology of International and European law.

Attitudes

  • The student has a critical, investigative and incorruptible attitude that evidences an intellectual, international curiosity, intellectual honesty and an attitude of lifelong learning.
  • The student is a global citizen who can handle the current and future challenges of a globalizing world and who is not afraid to work in an international context or environment.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Master Thesis determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Master Thesis category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Masterproef with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The master's thesis is submitted in writing and is defended orally. The oral defence of the master's thesis must take place at the latest during the second term of the academic year of registration. The defence of the master's thesis is public, as are the exams.

For each master's thesis, a written report is drawn up by the supervisor and a reporter, which the student must be able to view no later than three days before the defence of the master's thesis. These reports must also be made available to the members of the jury. 

The master's thesis is a separate exam, i.e. it must be assessed separately, taking into account the rules mentioned below.

A student who does not obtain 10/20 is considered not to have passed, regardless of the marks obtained for the other exams.

The jury must check the correctness of the assessments and must also take into account the way in which the candidate defended his/her master's thesis. On the basis of this information, it awards the definitive grade for the master's thesis. The master's thesis is assessed on the basis of the following criteria, the assessment of which is explicitly mentioned in the reports: knowledge of the subject and of the legal principles applicable to it, clear and lucid analysis of the issues, scope and depth of the research, demonstration of original reasoning and critical sense, logical construction and arrangement, spirit of synthesis, sources used, grammar, spelling and style, correct and consistent citation of sources used. The mark awarded expresses, in summary, the assessment of the supervisor, reporters or jury, respectively, on the ability of the student concerned to independently conduct scientific research in the field of international or European law.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of International and European Law: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)